Stephen Nowicki, Professor of Biology and Psychological & Brain Sciences and Dean of Natural Sciences and Dean of Undergraduate Education

Stephen Nowicki

Professor of Biology and Psychological & Brain Sciences and Dean of Natural Sciences and Dean of Undergraduate Education
PhD, Cornell University, 1985
mailing address: 0013 Bio Sci Bldg Durham, NC 27708
office: 0013 Bio Sci Bldg
email:
phone: 91-684-6950, 919-660 0927

research interests | publications | courses | lab web site

Research Summary:
 The Nowicki laboratory studies the ecology and evolution of animal behavior, especially questions about the evolution of diversity and complexity in animal communication signals. Steve Nowicki's current work focuses on birdsong, although he and his students have worked on a diverse array of organisms including invertebrates such as insects, spiders, crabs, shrimp and lobsters, and other vertebrates including lizards, ground squirrels and primates. Research projects combine field observation and experimentation, with laboratory studies of perception, neuroanatomy, functional morphology, phylogenetic analysis, and state-of-the-art digital signal processing. Nowicki's ongoing research projects lie in two main areas. The first concerns the evolution of receiver preferences for signal characteristics, with the goal of determining the proximate mechanisms by which signals may provide accurate information about the sender's condition or other relevant characteristics. The second main area examines how morphological and physiological mechanisms of signal production influence the evolution of signal diversity.

Representative Publications:   (More Publications)

  1. Ballentine, B., W. A. Searcy & S. Nowicki (2008). Reliable aggressive signalling in swamp sparrows. Animal Behaviour, 75, 693-703.
  2. Searcy, W. A., R. C. Anderson & S. Nowicki (2008). Is bird song a reliable signal of aggressive intent? A reply. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 62, 1213-1216.
  3. Anderson, R. C., W. A. Searcy & S. Nowicki (2008). Testing the function of song matching in birds: responses of eastern male song sparrows Melospiza melodia to partial song matching. Behaviour, 154, 347-363.
  4. Searcy, W. A. & S. Nowicki (2008). Bird song and the problem of signal reliability. American Scientist, 96, 114-121.
  5. Prather, J. F., S. Peters, S. Nowicki & R. Mooney (2008). Precise auditory-motor mirroring in neurons for learned vocal communication. Nature, 451, 305-310.

Courses (Fall 2009):

  • Biology 93fcs.04, Focus prog topics in bio Synopsis
    Bio sci 139, TuTh 04:25 PM-05:40 PM
  • Biology 322s.01, Beh/pop/comm ecology disc grp
    See instru, Tu 01:30 PM-02:30 PM